LinkedIn helps job seekers prepare for virtual interviews

Interviews can be daunting and make even the most prepared job seekers feel anxious. To help people feel more confident and prepared, especially as more interviews take place virtually, LinkedIn has launched a new feature to its interview preparation tools that gives people instant feedback on their technique.

LinkedIn’s tools help people prepare for the most likely questions to be asked in the screening process, with access to tips from experts on how to answer the most common interview questions.

With the new AI-powered feedback feature, LinkedIn members can privately record a practice interview answering questions such as “Why do you want to work here?” and “What is your greatest strength?”. They will receive instant feedback to help refine their pacing, cut down on filler words, and avoid sensitive phrases.

LinkedIn members can access the new feature from their LinkedIn Jobs page. They can also request feedback on their practice responses from their connections.

Darain Faraz, Director, Brand Marketing for EMEA at LinkedIn, said: “We want everyone to feel as prepared as possible as they head into a job interview, but not everyone has the opportunity to practice with a trusted friend or family member – particularly with social distancing rules in place. Getting quick, actionable feedback can help people refine their answers, improve their interview technique and calm their nerves. With many interviews now taking place virtually, we hope the feature helps people feel even more confident.”

LinkedIn has used technology developed by Microsoft for Presenter Coach which uses Speech Recognition and Natural Language Processing (NLP) machine learning algorithms to analyse speech patterns and the content of speech to surface recommendations that can be helpful to job seekers.

With more interviews happening virtually due to the global pandemic, LinkedIn is also beginning to test ‘video intro’, another new feature where hiring managers can request an introduction as part of the hiring process which candidates can respond to either by video or written responses. This can help job seekers stand out before the official interview process even begins.

Job seekers can also access free LinkedIn Learning courses that can help enhance and improve their interviewing skills.